The Trail of Broken Memories
by Sarlicsooth
Summary: Leon Wang lives in a normal, sunny village. The forest that surrounds them is off limits, because whoever wanders in, never comes back. But due to an unfortunate event, Leon finds himself on an unknown journey to find the truth of himself and the forest with a mute spirit by his side. What he finds may be something he wished he never knew... ( UKHK / HKUK )


Leon lived in a cozy, normal and lovely little village within a clearing in the middle of a big forest. It was beautiful there, where the flowers bloomed and the robins sang. Meanwhile, the young Asian lived here for as long as he could possibly remember. And he only knew this village, but he was content. It was peaceful here, a small bit of heaven on Earth. The place was so nice in fact, that all the crops grown in such a small area was plenty enough for the villagers. Since they lived in the middle of a forest, they did not get to trade with anyone. No one ever came into the village, where the sunlight kissed everything available and where the moon was so big and bright that no one needed to use artificial light when going outside.

But people did go out. There was a dusty little path that led to the well, but only teenagers left to go fetch water. The younger ones could not be trusted. Why? The answer was simple. If you ever went off the path, you were never seen again. If you ever wandered past the trees of the forest, you were never seen again actually. It was assumed that no one could find their way back, but no search parties were ever conducted in current times. It was dark and menacing in the forest, apparently, and no one wanted to risk being lost. It was just too high of a possibility. They would wait at the edge, calling to them, trying to lead them back. But no answer ever came. Despite this, they were nice and happy in their village, where nothing could hurt them, and they could live peacefully.

The large cobblestone path that ran through the town was lined with the villagers. Most of them chatted away, setting up shop, getting groceries, or watching the children play imaginative games. Leon himself was enjoying the warm weather, letting the sun's rays bathe over his skin.

"Leon!" a girl called, whose eyes were easy to recognize. Michelle finally caught up to the Asian and handed him a couple of baskets, a sheepish smile placed upon her features. "Hey, sorry about the short notice, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"Sure, yeah. Whatdya need?" He didn't mind. After all, the young Asian wasn't planning on doing anything significant later.

"Well, I think I took too much on. Lili's older brother is busy in the fields, and she was doing a lot of housework by herself. She asked me to fetch some water, and I told her yes. But I completely forgot I promised Matt I'd help plant his garden," informed she. "So, could you fill these buckets and run them over to her? It'd be a huge help to me!"

"I've got time." Leon reached down and picked the buckets up, nodding his head in confirmation.

"Thank you so much! This is a really big help! I owe you." She waved as she began to jog in the direction of Matthew's house, and Leon waved as she did. Fetching the water was no big deal, as long as you stayed on the path.

So he was off. The people kept going about their busy life, and so was he. The few clouds in the sky told of nice weather, while the breeze rolled about to cool off any heated sufferer.

Beneath the branches, it was cool. The bright, golden light of the sun had been filtered into a bluish-grey, which was really quite beautiful on its own accord. The leaves rustled in whispers and shook at his clothing. It was much cooler in here than the open village.

Within a few moments, he had arrived to his destination. It was a simple medieval well, but one that always gave plenty of water. It didn't take him long to hook up the buckets and lower them into the depths of liquid.

It was a boring job, in all reality. Hook up, dunk down, lift back up, untie. During the festivals, however, one could be running back and forth to bring water for the bakers. Which was tedious, if anything.

_I am here. Can you hear me?_  
_I can see you, but can you see me?_  
_A new path is revealed in the shadows._  
_But will you take it or cower away?_

Leon hummed a bit as he unfastened the secure knot. This was the worst part, if you asked him. He was always afraid that he would make it too loose, and that it would end up plummeting down into the well. So he compensated by tying the rope nice and tight. But then it was hard to get off.

And he was so concentrated that he didn't feel the strange atmosphere surrounding him. It surrounded him, it made him look over his shoulder suddenly. All movement was paused, so he could read on what was happening.

Silence met his ears, but his eyes saw the fog that was curling around the base of the trees. Wary, the Asian took hold of his freshly filled buckets and began down the path. It was nothing, he was sure of it. It was only his imagination playing tricks on him. His mind was scaring itself. And he knew, he just knew, that once he got back to the village, he would think himself silly for even letting his heart jump in such a manner.

The fog only enhanced the lack of color as it grew thicker, and made it hard to see the actual path. So he stayed very still. Fog had to pass sometime. For now, he wished he had brought some source of light with him. But it could not be helped. He would have to wait for the fog to lift, or for someone in the village to be walking past to get their own water. He wouldn't risk it.

_Fear is nothing more than hesitation of the unknown._  
_The blind will wander in darkness, never to find the light._  
_The deaf will not heed to the calls of their beloved._  
_You must learn to see and hear again if you want closure._

The chills ran down the Asian's spine. How long had he been standing? At least an hour. Perhaps two? Time could pass while you were thinking. But even with that time, no one had come or gone. And the fog had not lessened at all, or at least, not enough to see properly.

He picked up the buckets and began to go straight. The path did not twist or turn, and surely if he kept straight, he'd end up in the right direction.

The snap had been unexpected, and his heart was racing when he tripped and fell. The water spilt and splashed over him, and the buckets went rolling off. No matter. He just wanted out of here that very second. He felt his ankle, and knew that it was fine. A root, he thought as he groped into the grey. He couldn't have possibly seen it.

Another snap. A twig, surely. But what else was out here?

"Hello?"

No answer.

"Hello?! Is anyone there?!"

Still no answer.

Now the Asian was genuinely panicking. If anyone were there, and could see past the fog, they would know a look of terror if they saw him. And that was strange for Leon. He typically kept to himself. His emotions were private, and therefore, it was hard for anyone to tell what he was thinking. But in that moment, all hell had broken loose, and he needed to get out.

So he got up and ran. A sensible thing to do in all reality. He ran and ran, and eventually, the fog seemed to thin. And it thinned some more, and then some more. Until Leon could see perfectly. But he didn't have time to notice, because he smacked right into a tree.

The black bark crumbled a bit, and stuck to his clothing. His heart rate was beginning to slow into a normal pace, and his breathing was evening out. But his stomach sank, and an unknown emotion swept over him once he had fully realized what he had done.

Leon had left the path.

The fog was gone, and no longer covered the area. But he hadn't gone far. Only a few meters, he was sure! The forest wasn't overly thick, but he would have hit a tree much sooner if he had gone too far. But the path just...wasn't there.

He jogged back from where he came. But there was no path. The grey light only showed more forest, more leaves, more trees.

"Hello?" he called, as if expecting someone to answer this time. "Hey! Can anyone hear me? Anyone?!"

But, as expected, he heard no response. And so he began to wander, wanting desperately to find the path to his home. Yet, not even a small sign appeared.

He was utterly and completely lost.

_The three entities that keep nothingness away are Life, Death, and Time._  
_Life is a sun kissed beauty, but with dark secrets that she hides._  
_Death is a man cloaked in black, and is always coldly truthful._  
_And Time is a senile old man, marching forward without purpose._

He didn't know what to say. Who was he? His skin was too pale, even in the gloom of light, but he was still solidified. The only thing that stood out about him was his eyes. They were like emeralds that held the noon light, they were vibrant and full of fire. Even if the rest of his body seemed like it would fade.

"Who are you?" he heard himself say. But this man did not reply back. His mouth was set in a thin line, and the position of his thick brows maintained neutrality. With another moment of staring at Leon, the green-eyed man turned and began walking.

He stood there, dumbfounded. He had been wandering more, calling out to any of the other villagers, trying to find his way back, when he glanced up to see this strange man staring at him. He blinked, unsure of what to say or do at this point. He didn't want to go alone, or be alone. But this man could be sinister, evil, wicked.

At this point, if the legends were true, Leon would be killed at any moment. And why shouldn't he believe them? This path had just...disappeared? And now he was supposed to believe that other things out there might not exist? Perhaps it was just his mind reacting to this situation, but the idea of monsters didn't seem so crazy at the moment.

So he took off after this mysterious pale man. When he had finally caught up, the other didn't even spare him a glance. He just kept going forward. But he didn't seem to mind Leon's presence, so he continued to follow.

"So... I'm Leon," the Asian said after a few moments. He wanted to add, "sorry I'm following, I'm not a stalker I swear" he decided to leave it out. Instead, he asked, "What's your name?"

The man was silent again, but his pace quickened. Even so, Leon continued the quickness in his own feet. He didn't want to scare him off! But hell, this was his only chance. "Woah, I'm sorry if I freaked you out. I just, well, I thought that-"

He looked around at his surroundings. Graves. This man had led him to a graveyard. There were plenty of them, in this tiny clearing that didn't seem to belong here. The sun was golden again, and it confirmed Leon's suspicions of the man. His skin, hair, and clothes were a pale grey. Everything of him was, except for his eyes. Those eyes that were now burning into him, and then turned away, to look at something else.

Leon followed his eyes, onto the specific grave in front of them. He realized that the surrounding graves had no markings, they were just stone with absolutely no marks upon them whatsoever. But the grave in front of them, that said something:

_Arthur Kirkland_  
_April 23rd, 1981 - June 3rd, 2011_

_Strong, even in his last, and toughest, years. Loved in the afterlife, and missed on Earth._

"Arthur Kirkland..." he murmured, letting the name roll off of his tongue smoothly. "Is that your name, Arthur Kirkland?" The man nodded once in confirmation, and then continued on his way.

Arthur was dead. And yet, Leon could see him. He saw him plain as day, as if he were living. Except for the pale skin and lack of speech, you would have guessed nothing was wrong with the man.

Yet, it was extremely fast, the way he showed him. As if he wanted Leon to know right off the bat he was talking to a deceased person. And perhaps he did, after all, it seemed like he couldn't talk because of it. It made it simpler to explain. Even so, Leon continued to trail behind him. He had no other choice, it seemed.

* * *

Leon was vaguely aware that they had been traveling further and further away from his home. But in his want to not be left alone, he continued following this...ghost. That's what Arthur was, right?

It was strange, though. Snow had begun to fall, even if it had been in the middle of summer. How far had they travelled then? The Asian kept this question to himself. It wasn't like Arthur could answer him, and he probably wouldn't even care anyways.

Though he knew that it had been hours and hours since he found Arthur, and they had been moving at a steady pace, with the spirit travelling in front of him. Now he had some time to think. And he found that the strange thing was, even after all of this time, Leon felt no pain of hunger, or any thirst. Not sore or tired. He had, at first, considered that he had died too, just like Arthur. But that was impossible, he knew. Or he would have been able to speak to his new companion. Or glide across the ground. But he had to continue walking, and he was completely solid. And he still held color in his clothing and skin.

He reasonably concluded that it must be the forest. Perhaps it had some sort of mystic power that kept its travelers awake without hunger or thirst. Convenient. But would Leon still grow weak if he didn't eat? Drink? Rest?

By the time night came, and still no fatigue entered his body, he began to wonder if he should question Arthur. In some way shape or form, he might be able to answer some of Leon's questions. Yes... That would be appropriate, right?

He sighed and stopped moving.

And to his surprise, so did Arthur. The English ghost turned around to look at Leon. He said nothing, he did not gesture, he just looked at the Asian that had been following him. That made Leon second guess himself. Did he know he was about to question him? Could Arthur read minds or something of the sort? But still, Arthur did not move.

"I... What's going on?"

No answer.

"Can you take me back home? I got lost, I don't know where to go..." he said slowly, unsurely. It was strange, talking to a spirit.

This time, Arthur did answer. But much to Leon's disappointment, he shook his head.

"Well! Can you at least point in the direction I need to go?!"

Arthur raised a hand and pointed, not back to the area Leon wanted, but where Arthur himself was heading.

"And what's there?"

No answer.

"Are you going to kill me?"

This time, the bright green eyes looked somewhat saddened by his companion clad in flesh. A pause, and then he shook his head.

"Home. I want to go back home," Leon demanded. But Arthur said nothing to this either. He only looked at the Asian. "I have people waiting there for me! This place is strange. I'm not even hungry, I'm not parched, I'm not tired in the least bit. This is weird!"

This time, Arthur made a come forth motion and glided over to a tree. With nothing else to lose, Leon followed, hoping that this was actually going somewhere instead of him wondering what in the hell was going on.

By the base of the tree was a little stuffed animal. A panda to be exact. It was fluffy, and it didn't look wet at all from the falling snow. Yes, the snow... Now he realized that it wasn't even cold around him.

This bear looked strangely familiar. It was just like the one he had when he was little, the one he dragged around. But he'd lost it... Where? How? He couldn't remember... Was this one his? How did it get into the forest? Had one of the children made off with it and got off the path? Possibly.

He picked up the black and white animal, examining it. It was a bit ratty, but otherwise, still in good condition. He blinked, and looked at it, slowly drinking it in.

_"Is this really for me?"_

_"Yes, aru. I found it and I thought you'd like it!"_

Leon looked upon the panda more closely. Yes, he remembered how he had gotten it. His head was beginning to hurt. This panda was his best companion. He had gone everywhere with it when little...

But who had given it to him? He couldn't remember. It...was too long ago...

He realized that Arthur was staring at him intently, which only pulled the Asian out of his thoughts. "Where did you find this?"

Arthur did not even seem to care to answer this question, and continued forth. But he had Leon curious enough to keep following. This man was hiding things from him, he could tell. But what?

_If I could explain to you how happy I am_  
_That you're simply here_  
_Then I wonder what you would think_  
_Would you be happy or would you think of me strange?_

"Are we almost there?"

A shake of the head.

"How much longer?"

No answer.

Arthur was being very flaky in Leon's curiosity. He wouldn't give him any information, except yeses and noes in simple bits. It was unfair, if you asked him. He wanted to know what was going on, why it was happening, where they were going...

"Do you know anything?"

No answer, but even so, the mood seemed to become even more gloomy.

The panda bear was being held in the crook of his arm, and it fit there comfortably. He didn't have to worry about it slipping into the snow, even though he doubted it would get wet. This forest was strange, as it held much power, and had mystic abilities.

It had been days now, he was sure, where he was continuously walking with Arthur. Never tired, never hungry, but slightly in pain. He had been for a bit now, though he decided it would pass. It was just the stress from walking so long...

He had, indeed, gone quite away. At times, Leon found himself wondering if the other villagers had noticed, or had they already guessed?

It was impossible to tell, of course. There was a chance he'd never see them again, for the rest of his life. And that was...shocking, to say the least. It made his chest hurt.

He stopped, as now he noticed Arthur's intense emerald eyes were upon him. In all honesty, it was something to fear. His eyes held so much emotion in one moment...

The silver man motioned to the bushes with a grey swish, but kept his eyes on the Asian. With the soft crunch of unfreezing snow beneath his feet, Leon made his way to the dead-looking brush.

It took him some time, but Leon managed to find and take a small box. It was soft as it rubbed against the pad of his fingers, he thought. Nothing was inside when he opened it up. It was just a small, black box that, for whatever reason, Arthur thought he should look at.

But then that headache that never completely went away started to ebb its way back into a more painful existence. He clutched to the box, tightly, only partially wondering if he might crush it in his fingers.

"Yeah, of course. It's... I want this, just as much."

That had been his voice, but to whom had he been speaking? It was a bright day, he could tell. The leaves on the tree branches blocked the sunlight out. It was perfect, he could tell, just everything was. He could almost feel the sun on his hands, he could see...

"You can hear me now, can't you?"

It was a broken voice, bent and shattered, as if glass filled his throat.

"You can...speak?" Leon muttered, his brown eyes watching the silver spirit in front of him carefully.

"I could always speak, but I knew you wouldn't hear me. We are on different fields. It's a miracle we can see each other, or that I could hear you before."

"So, why can I hear you now?" Leon backed away slightly. This was all too strange for him...

"It's because you're closer... I can't explain everything, it's not my place to do so." Arthur turned around and began to maneuver. "You have to figure it out."

"Is that why I'm here?" he asked slowly, before following Arthur. At least now he was being a bit more telling. "You're the one that got me off the path?"

"Yes. I'm unable to go into that village. I'm not made for that."

"Why?" Leon asked. Surely if he could go into the forest, Arthur could go into the village.

"That answer would tell you something."

Leon went silent for a while, trying to think of what he should say next. Why could Arthur say anything? But that question wouldn't do any good. Arthur would state that he couldn't give away that information or something. "...When I picked this panda and box... I... I saw something, it was..."

"A memory?"

Leon looked at him for the longest time. "Is that what that is...? A memory. Did I lose my memories? Get knocked in the head, like what happened?"

"You...could say that... I can't say, but it'd be difficult to explain anyways. While you're like this anyways."

"...Did I know you at one point?" Leon asked finally. Arthur turned his silver head to him, and smiled sadly.

"Yes." It was one, simple, and short word. But the way he said it, it was like he poured all of these depressed, gloomy emotions into that single word. Leon didn't speak for a long time, and tried to gather on what happened. Reasonably, he concluded that it must have been this forest. That it had done something to him and cast him into the village to live...

But...

No. He needn't think about that, it wasn't important. He focused on more important matters. If this forest had done something to him, what was it? Why was Arthur here? This forest was sucking it all up, he knew it. But how? Why?

"Did I kill you?" he asked suddenly, not able to keep it in.

"...In a way," was the reply.

Though he considered it an option for that split second, he never thought that the response he'd get was an actual yes...well, pretty much anyways. He killed someone? He killed Arthur, or helped in his death? Is that why Arthur was here? He could be leading him somewhere to get him killed too, for revenge. That was certainly possible. Nevertheless, this was all beginning to scare him. He didn't think he was capable of killing another human being. He just had to know, what was the reasoning?

"Why?"

"You didn't mean to, it was...an accident, I guess you could say," Arthur murmured in his broken-glass voice.

That brought Leon some relief, and he let it slide down over him. So he wasn't some killer, that was good. But what was he then? He wanted to ask how it happened, but decided against it. It seemed that he made Arthur re-live so much in so little time.

It wasn't his place to ask such question anyways...

* * *

The sun set, the moon came, and the sun rose and met the Earth again. And still, Leon was not tired. The forest itself, he could feel, was pouring its energy into him. Which was good, he could keep moving. And learn more. He wanted to know more and more.

"A memory is just ahead."

Leon nodded but said nothing. He didn't know what the next memory held. It could be pleasant, like the past two. But it could also be devastating, and that wasn't something he'd like to experience.

Accident or not...what if he remembered how he killed Arthur? As much as he wanted to know who Arthur was, who he was himself, he couldn't shake the feeling that the truth amongst everything was terribly horrifying.

"Here, this it," Arthur stated casually, as if finding memories were a normal occurrence. Maybe it was? How much did Leon really not know?

"A lantern?" Leon picked it up. A red lantern, it was simple. And so he waited, paused really, to receive the memory. And now that he was actually prepared, it didn't hurt as much.

The pain pulsed strangely, and the pieces fit back together again. It was a beautiful night, cool and dark. Someone that seemed tall (or was he just short in comparison?) to Leon was hanging a red lantern up.

_"There, how does that look, aru?"_

_"It looks nice."_

_"I think so too. Let's go inside, it'll get chilly soon, aru."_

"Who is that?" he asked in a mutter. It was the second memory that the man showed up in. "Aru, aru, aru. That's what sticks out."

Arthur turned his head to look at Leon, and seemed to hesitate. Then he appeared to have made a decision before speaking. "That was Yao. Your older brother."

Leon lifted his gaze to the Englishman, and the pain got worse. The forest seemed to grow darker, except for a few distant areas. Which was strange, he had noted. But there was a more current and important matter on hand. "My older brother?"

"Yes," the English spirit began, "your older brother."

"I don't have an older brother. Unless... Did I move?" he murmured. "To a different town? I mean-"

"You lived in the same neighborhood as always. You never moved to a different city," stated Arthur, with truth in his voice.

Leon felt his heart clench up. "Did he...did he die? Did I kill him, Arthur?"

"Yao Wang is still very much alive," Arthur said, seeming to become more comfortable with relaying this information.

"Then where... Did he go away? What's going on?"

"Yao is living in the same house he always has, where you grew up. He lives there with your other brother and your sister."

Leon was panicking at this point. He truly did not understand. Never once did he question his childhood... "I didn't have an older brother. I didn't have any siblings. I grew up- I...grew up...in..."

But he couldn't finish the sentence. And Arthur was giving him an expectant look, as if awaiting for Leon to finish his statement. As if pushing him forward... "I grew up... I... I don't remember. I can't remember anything. I don't know anything about my childhood."

Now this was truly frightening. Why would he never sift through his memories? Why would he not think about his past? How had he never thought about this before, questioned it?

"And when did you start living in that village?"

He didn't answer at first, as he searched through his mind. But no answer came. He had assumed that he had lived there all of his life. All of his childhood and adolescence was supposed to be there. "I...I can't remember."

"Ten years." Arthur looked at him steadily. "You have been there for ten years, only ten."

"...Who are you?" he whispered, looking at Arthur as if he were some disfigured monster. "What are you?"

"I can't reveal myself, or you'd know why I was here."

"You're here to show me my past, to show me what the hell is going on. And I know that I've lost my memory, and something has messed with my mind!" Leon snapped, gritting his teeth. He didn't really know where this sudden anger had come from.

"It isn't as simple as that, I'm afraid." The English spirit shook his head and then continued walking. But Leon wasn't done.

Not by a long shot.

"You can't just say I haven't lived in the village, the only thing I've known for all of my life, and expect me not to wonder who I am or what I've done!" he snapped, taking a huge effort to swallow. "You aren't making any sense...! That isn't fair! Like, what is this forest doing to me?"

"It's not what it's doing to you, but what it did." Arthur continued to walk. "I'll take you somewhere. Come. I have more to explain before we arrive."

So Leon jogged back into step with the English spirit who was still a mystery to him. His heart beat fast, his mind spun like a quick top. This wasn't helping, none of this was. It was becoming so confusing. How could he not know that he hadn't lived here. How had he arrived here?

"You will be departing from me, for a little while," Arthur started slowly, keeping his eyes ahead. "It's necessary, so that you can collect the rest of your memories. It will take a while, but to you, it'll be much faster. Now that you know what to expect in memories, you will be faster at putting them together. Everything will become clear very soon, that I promise..."

Leon didn't interrupt, he didn't ask a single question. He just kept his mouth shut and he listened. Anxiety crept into him as the forest began to thin a bit. Arthur was rambling on about how he may feel, but that wasn't important to Leon. He had to go through it anyways. What did it matter? He swallowed down that lump in his throat and began to observe what was just ahead.

A beautiful cliff that looked over a thick forest basked in grey light. A single tree had grown near it, and its branches tried to lean over and provide the nearby grass some sort of shade from the sphere of circle.

"Where is this?" he asked, amazed somewhat.

"This is a replica of the spot just a few miles out of the city. You liked to come here," Arthur stated.

Leon went ahead, and Arthur said nothing. Even as he stepped further and further, no memory came back. There was no pain, there was no pulsation, it was just...normal. Which confused him. He overlooked the forest beneath, and still nothing came.

"I don't understand. I don't remember anything..."

"Turn around," Arthur requested. And Leon did. Arthur was casually standing a few meters away, leaning onto the tree. There was no smile, or a set frown, but what first looked to be a neutral expression. But Leon could see how tired he was, his eyes showed relief but a deep sadness that he couldn't find an answer to. "This is goodbye, for a little while."

And the cliff gave away.

And Leon fell.

And he fell, fell, fell.

Until he hit the ground with a large thud.

Leon was dead.

* * *

Leon Wang is dead, he thought to himself, I am dead. He didn't feel any sort of pain, he didn't see the sky littered with hanging leaves. But instead, he saw the trunks of trees.

It was cold, very cold, he realized. He was absolutely freezing for the first time. Is that what Arthur wanted? Did he want him dead, just like Leon had made him so? All this time, that was what he desired?

No.

Despite his lack of knowledge, Leon knew somewhere inside of him, that that wasn't the case. Why Arthur had done this, he couldn't be too sure. But he knew it wasn't for a reason like that. Never like that.

And as he floated down to the snow, he found that he welcomed it. Ground meant stability, and stability meant time to think straight. Even if it was burningly cold, he didn't mind. Not at the moment anyways.

He lay there for what he thought must be ten minutes, and then he stood up. It took some effort, as the snow was at a level of a temperature he had never experienced before.

His head hurt, and he realized that. A memory was ready to come. But when he waited, nothing came to him. Perhaps he needed more. There must be something around.

So he walked through the forest, all alone. There was no Michelle, there was no Matthew, there was no Emil, and there was no Arthur. It was just him, in the middle of snow, shivering and trembling to a memory he had no idea existed.

He walked for an amount of time that he could not convey. Hours, maybe even an entire day. He walked, wandered, shivering but never falling into sleep.

Eventually, the forest thinned again, but no cliff was found. Instead, there was just a small iron gate. It was open, so he went in. Great. Another graveyard. And he looked around, but found that many of the stones were blank, just like before, when he went and saw Arthur's. But that was before the spirit had been able to speak to him. How long ago was that? It felt like it should be a long time, but yet, it seemed to happen so recently.

His teeth were chattering as he came searched the rows, looking for a name. Or just something in general. There was nothing that he could find until he came to the third row. And there, carved onto the stone grave was something that he had been expecting.

_Leon Wang  
__July 1st, 1983 - August 13th, 2003_

_Brave, young, smart, and dear to our hearts. Forever in our memories._

He stared at his own tombstone for a long while. That didn't make any sense. Arthur had died in 2011, or so he had said. Or, rather, what his grave had said. But, according to this, he had died eight years before Arthur's own death.

He spoke out loud, if you could call it that, and as he did, he realized that his voice was choked up. And the tears on his face were getting cold. It was so clear to him right now, why hadn't he figured it out before?

He had been dead for ten years.

For ten, long years he had been living in that village, and he had been dead the entire time. Everyone in that village...they were all dead. They were all just like him. They had died and arrived there.

And so he remembered.

He had grown up in that small city all of his life. Yao, Bolin, and Mei, they were his family. They had been his family for a long, long time. He was generally happy, and he was satisfied with life, even as he grew older.

And then Arthur came into his life.

Yes, now he remembered. How could he have forgotten? Those bright eyes, that accent, his total being, the way Arthur made him feel...

Leon was picking up tea, he remembered, when he ran into Arthur, who seemed to enjoy the beverage himself very much. He remembered the conversation, which would later make him about half an hour late back home. But before he had been about to leave after pay for the tea, he had written down on the receipt his number. And boldly gave it to him. And it was so clear the shade of pink that Arthur had gotten that very moment. It made him smile, and though he could see the anxiety, Arthur had taken it.

Later that night, Arthur had called, and they talked more.

Days, weeks, and months went by.

His family was accepting of Arthur. And though Yao showed some reluctance in the beginning, he had come around eventually. The days they spent at that cliff were numerous, or just through the forest.

And he remembered the day Arthur asked Leon to marry him. His heart had swelled with joy, and when he had told his family and friends they were happy, even Yao was smiling.

He remembered the nights they spent together. The private and intimate moments they shared together, how Arthur's flesh slid along his, and how his breath was hot and sweet on his pale skin. He remembered his scent, a mixture of cinnamon and earth that made a strange concoction, but intoxicating all the same.

But it had all come crashing down. It was a normal day, a beautiful one in fact. They had spent the afternoon enjoying the comfortable silence. Sometimes, the Englishman would play that guitar of his, and sing.

"Cualquier día de estos me voy a alzar . . . y voy a reventar . . .

La herida existencial muy a mi pesar, la conciencia animal,

Mi propia destrucción, la contradicción . . . vieja colisión.

Prosigo mi campaña sin olvidar que es eventual."

And then he had gone to look at the trees from below. He remembered turning around, and Arthur was smiling. But he heard that sound, that stomach-dropping sound. And Arthur's smile turned into a look of surprise and fear. He felt himself slide and suddenly he was falling. He hardly had time to hear Arthur's desperate cries before everything turned black.

He had died. He had been dead for ten years.

"Arthur?" he whispered, in a broken cry. "Arthur! Come back! Where are you? Don't leave me here... Arthur?!"

But silence answered him. So he left the little graveyard and began to wander again. Had he not remembered enough? Surely most of his memories had come back now. Hadn't they...?

"Arthur!" But no matter how many times he screamed, the Englishman did not come back. So he continued to move, as if that were his only purpose left in this pathetic sort of existence.

Trembling through the snow, he finally made his way to another large iron gate. Though this one did not contain a graveyard, it contained him and the forest. And as he approached it closer, he found that a man was guarding it.

But was it really?

He knew who he was before even asking, before even getting too close. It was obvious as to who it was. Who else would be draped in a black cloak and holding such a dangerous weapon.

"Death," Leon said in greeting, as if he had known this ancient being all of his life.

"LeoN WaNG." The Asian was silent for a moment. His voice was unlike anything else he had ever experienced. It was broken, like Arthur's had been but even more so, and it was like he was speaking through static. "LiFe aND TiMe CoNTRaDiCTeD oNe aNoTHeR, aND LeFT You HeRe."

"Is that what happened?" he asked, trying to put up a face of confidence, though he was sure that he was failing. Death sucked in air, his face hidden by the shadows of his hood. But he was sure that, if he were to look in, he'd find a skull.

"You HaVe aCQuiReD aLL oF YouR NeCeSSaRY MeMoRieS, You MaY PaSS."

"Wait." Leon paused here. "What about the others, who got screwed over? What about them and their memories? Don't they get to come out of here? Don't they deserve the truth too?"

"FoRGeT THeM. THeY MuST ReMaiN THeRe uNTiL THeY HaVe THe CouRaGe To LeaVe, oR SoMeoNe THeY KNoW HeLPS THeM."

Michelle, Matthew, Emile, everyone was just supposed to stay? And he couldn't do anything about it. Perhaps he was being stupid, but he questioned this being again. "Can I be that person?"

"No."

"I'm supposed to just...leave?"

"YeS. THaT iS THe CaSe. You WeRe LuCKY To CoMe ouT, Be THaNKFuL FoR THaT. iT MaY NeVeR HaPPeN FoR SoMe oF THoSe PeoPLe. You HaVe SoMeoNe WaiTiNG FoR You. Go, aND I HoPE I WiLL NeVeR HaVe To eNCouNTeR You aGaiN. iT HaS BeeN a PLeaSuRe." And with that, Death vanished, and the iron gates squeaked open. He paused, but made his way through the gate. And as he did, the area around him burst with life.

It was autumn, it seemed. The leaves were changing color. Orange, gold, and red. The leaves littered the long, cracked road ahead of him, and when he looked back, the gate and that forest were both gone. Forever, hopefully, he thought.

"Are you ready?" came that familiar voice. Leon turned his head, and there was Arthur, in full color, normal voice, and a smile.

"How long was I in there?" he asked, as he took the Englishman's hand.

"I can't be sure. Time doesn't affect Death like it does Life. It felt like only a couple of hours to me." He began to walk with the other, smiling wider. "It's been a long time..."

"Arthur... How did you die? How was it me...?"

Arthur laughed quietly to this and gave Leon's hand a gentle squeeze. "After you died, nothing felt right anymore. The doctor said I was putting too much stress on myself. I got cancer, of the pancreas. And...well, it's hard to make a comeback from there. I didn't survive too long after I found out."

"What about Yao...Bolin...Mei?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"They are fine. They remember you, and they miss you, but things have moved on for them. They are living their lives," he said slowly.

The light around them was getting brighter.

"Where are we going?"

"Into the afterlife. You could call it...our own personal heaven, yeah?" He kissed the Asian. "I love you."

"I love you too." And they were enveloped in a white, blazing light, and disappeared from the road, to enjoy the rest of eternity. And love won again.

_One of these days I will raise . . . and I will explode . . ._  
_Existential wound . . . Much to my regret, animal consciousness_  
_My own destruction, the contradiction . . . old collision_  
_Follow my campaign without forgetting that it is possible_

* * *

Hey, guys. Thank you for reading this~ It took quite some time, and I'm sorry if it isn't very good. I haven't tried this sort of thing before.

The part that Arthur sang, and the last four lines are the same part of the song. The Spanish is the original and the English is the translation. The song is _Lo Bello y Lo Bestia _by The New Raemon. The link to the song is on my profile!

I may even make a sequel to this later on~ I just love the idea of this state of limbo.

Thank you for reading, reviews are very much welcomed!

-Sarlicsooth


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